PHILIP WIRTH

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 61, 9 September 1937, Page 20

PHILIP WIRTH

A WAY WITH ANIMALS

DEATH IN HIS NATIVE TOWN

(From "The Post's" Representative.) SYDNEY, September 2.

The death at the age of 73 of Mr. Philip Wirth, one of the most striking circus life controllers in the world, has released a flood of recollections of an institution which is a household word in Australia and New Zealand. One of four brothers who established the circus, Mr. Wirth was born at Dalby, a small Queensland town, which by a coincidence, his circus was visiting when he died. The Wirth brothers, John, Harry, Philip, and George, were sons of Mr. John Wirth, a travelling musician, who came to Australia in the gold-rush of the fifties. Mr. John Wirth was a partner in a circus, and one by one, as his sons reached leaving-school age, they joined him. In 1878 he. organised a troupe of variety, acrobatic, and musical artists, in which Philip and George Wirth were included as juvenile performers. They commenced at Tamworth, New South Wales, a tour which eventually covered most of the States, then playing in music halls and theatres. In 1880 they purchased their first tent, producing the entire show under canvas at the Haymarket, Sydney, on the site on which many years later they built Wirth's Hippodrome. At Ballarat, Victoria, in 1883, they commenced to establish a complete circus, and start: ed out from Ararat, Victoria, on a two years' visit of provincial towns throughout Australia. Their first city appearance was made ;in Adelaide, in 1885, Melbourne and Sydney following. After that they made'their first trip abroad, to Noumea, where they played for nine weeks. The steamer, the Gunga, was struck by a severe cyclone and nearly broke her back. For two whole days she was hove-to. The horses, were swept from thenstalls and washed up and down the decks. CAJOLERY AND KINDNESS. In 1889 Mr. G. Wirth took over the managerial side of the, business, and in 1893 the brothers undertook the biggest enterprise known in circus history. For seven years they toured the world, visiting South Africa, South America, and England. They returned to South Africa in 1898, and on the outbreak of the Boer War, went to Colombo, thence through India, Burma, and the Federated Malay States. In 1900 they came back to Australia. In 1907 they erected and opened ,a big circus building in Melbourne, and in 1914 commenced building Wirth's Hippodrome, Sydney. This was opened in 1916. Mr. George Wirth retired from active business in 1930, but Mr. Philip Wirth continued his active participation in affairs until as recently as last Easter. The circus is still a family affair, being now conducted by Mr. Philip Wirth's two sons and four daughters. > From the v outset, Mr. Wirth was horse-trainer and ringmaster. Six feet in height and 14 stone, he was. more suited to this than acrobatics. When the circus visited South Africa in 1893, he trained a gnu to ride on the back of one of his horses, and also broke in and trained six zebras. Mastery of the zebras gave him great satisfaction, as he had read that the zebra was the only animal that could not be trained. When the circus visited South America in 1895 he' trained two wild mustangs to waltz together, in answer, to a challenge by English ranch-owners. He trained a pony to enter the ring dressed as a woman, undress, put on a nightgown, blow out a candle, and get into bed. ; Mr. Wirth never used cruelty in teaching animals. His success was due to his patience and understanding, and the use of sugar, and sweets.